Tuscaloosa City Council revokes business license of D&G Grocery

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The Tuscaloosa City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to revoke the business license of D&G Grocery, just over three months after the owner was charged with selling marijuana at the store.

When asked if he would admit before the council that he sold marijuana, he declined, offering instead to open his doors to police officers as he sold the remaining pieces of his inventory.

Lolley said he sent in confidential informants to attempt to buy marijuana after he received information about illegal activity at D & G Grocery, located at the intersection of Old Marion Road and Bear Creek Road. The informant was sent into the store on June 25 and 26 for undercover buys, during which he recorded video and audio of Stephens getting marijuana out from under the counter and selling it to him.

The task force obtained search warrants for Stephens' store and his home on probable cause, and agents had the search warrants executed on June 28.

Lolley said agents found seven grams total of marijuana in individual packages, a loaded handgun and $1,140 in Stephens' wallet. Lolley said the baggies indicated that the marijuana was being packaged for sale.

Stephens was charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, two counts
of first-degree unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful
possession of drug paraphernalia.

West Alabama Narcotics Task Force commander Capt. Jeff Snyder said Stephens admitted to selling marijuana for about one year.

Stephens, who has operated the store for almost 30 years, carried with him a piece of paper that he said contained the signatures of 580 people who supported him.

He said he used marijuana in the 1960s and did not use it again until about a year ago. He said he has not used any marijuana since his arrest and has never used any other drugs.

Stephens volunteered that he would surrender his business license once he sold his stock if he were allowed to keep selling his inventory to customers, but council members unanimously voted to revoke the license.

City Attorney Tim Nunnally said revoking the business license does not prohibit Stephens from selling off his inventory, but does prohibit him from continuing his retail business.

A business owner can contest revocation of his license by filing a petition in Circuit Court, Nunnally said.